150TH ANNIVERSARY OF EDGAR ALLAN POE'S MYSTERIOUS DEATH

150TH ANNIVERSARY OF EDGAR ALLAN POE'S MYSTERIOUS DEATH

PRAGUE, Czech Republic (Wireless Flash) -- Fans of gothic novels may want to don more black clothing than usual tomorrow (Oct. 7) -- it's the 150th anniversary of the death of Edgar Allan Poe. On October 7th, 1849, Poe died in a Baltimore hospital after he was found unconscious in the street a few days earlier. According to Poe expert and impersonator David Keltz, although there were no eyewitnesses to the author's demise, many fans believe he was drugged. Keltz says at the time of Poe's death, it was common for political parties to hire gangs which would kidnap folks off the street, drug them and force them to vote for their candidate. He says Poe disappeared during an election, and his body was found near a known hideout for "The Plug Uglies" -- a gang that worked for the Whig party. Keltz figures the it was the dose of drugs the henchmen gave Poe which did him in.